Thanks for the update, Rocky. This is always such a strange time of year for college baseball. You've got teams in the midwest going down to Florida and other warmer states and playing on a real baseball field for the first time since October. I knew some guys that played when I was in college and they said that was REALLY difficult, particularly for infielders that haven't fielded a grounder on real grass for half a year, and them boom, you're thrown out into the fire playing a team in Texas that's been practicing outdoors practically all winter.

I don't know how serious you are about Winston, but honestly that may not be such bad advice. I watched some videos of him in high school and he looked pretty good. His swing needed to be cleaned up but there's first round potential there as a position player and pitcher. I know it's more glamorous to be in the NFL than spend a few years in minor league cities playing baseball, but the money is so much better in baseball if you last for some time and its a far easier lifestyle.

Jake Westbrook just retired and he never really was anything better than a #4 starter and he earned $61 million over his career (!!!), which is more than what a lot of NFL players that we consider top players will ever make. I'd advise Winston to go to the NFL if he's going to be a top pick that may guarantee him $10+ million (you're set for life!) but the way NFL football is, you could be out of a job by the time you're 27. Baseball players have such an easier life-style (don't need to be in awesome shape), they have guaranteed contracts and their professional careers are significantly longer. It's just that being a 1st round pick doesn't mean you'll ever play in the majors so you can flame out. I'm sure there are others, but Adam Dunn, Grady Sizemore turned down scholarships to be QB's at big universities and it worked out very well for them. Hell, Adam Dunn goes out and drinks all of the time, hardly stays in shape and he's made $100 million already as a 33 year old, he's due another $15 million this year and still has more years of playing time if he wants to.

It probably wouldn't be such a terrible idea for Winston to seriously consider playing pro baseball. Heck, he'd probably be the 20th pick in the draft, he'd get around $2 million signing bonus. If it turns out he can't hit a curveball after 3 years in the minors (stay away from pitching if possible), you can bail on baseball and for sure he'd draw major interest as a QB in the NFL as a 25-26 year old. Russell Wilson just won the super bowl after taking some years off football as a pro baseball player.

Baseball may be the preferable route for Winston, as crazy as it may sound.

OhioBaseball wrote:Thanks for the update, Rocky. This is always such a strange time of year for college baseball. You've got teams in the midwest going down to Florida and other warmer states and playing on a real baseball field for the first time since October. I knew some guys that played when I was in college and they said that was REALLY difficult, particularly for infielders that haven't fielded a grounder on real grass for half a year, and them boom, you're thrown out into the fire playing a team in Texas that's been practicing outdoors practically all winter.

I don't know how serious you are about Winston, but honestly that may not be such bad advice. I watched some videos of him in high school and he looked pretty good. His swing needed to be cleaned up but there's first round potential there as a position player and pitcher. I know it's more glamorous to be in the NFL than spend a few years in minor league cities playing baseball, but the money is so much better in baseball if you last for some time and its a far easier lifestyle.

Jake Westbrook just retired and he never really was anything better than a #4 starter and he earned $61 million over his career (!!!), which is more than what a lot of NFL players that we consider top players will ever make. I'd advise Winston to go to the NFL if he's going to be a top pick that may guarantee him $10+ million (you're set for life!) but the way NFL football is, you could be out of a job by the time you're 27. Baseball players have such an easier life-style (don't need to be in awesome shape), they have guaranteed contracts and their professional careers are significantly longer. It's just that being a 1st round pick doesn't mean you'll ever play in the majors so you can flame out. I'm sure there are others, but Adam Dunn, Grady Sizemore turned down scholarships to be QB's at big universities and it worked out very well for them. Hell, Adam Dunn goes out and drinks all of the time, hardly stays in shape and he's made $100 million already as a 33 year old, he's due another $15 million this year and still has more years of playing time if he wants to.

It probably wouldn't be such a terrible idea for Winston to seriously consider playing pro baseball. Heck, he'd probably be the 20th pick in the draft, he'd get around $2 million signing bonus. If it turns out he can't hit a curveball after 3 years in the minors (stay away from pitching if possible), you can bail on baseball and for sure he'd draw major interest as a QB in the NFL as a 25-26 year old. Russell Wilson just won the super bowl after taking some years off football as a pro baseball player.

Baseball may be the preferable route for Winston, as crazy as it may sound.

From 2004-2006 Westbrook averaged over 3.5 wins a season and never threw less than 210 innings; he was a very good #3 before he got hurt (yes know that was a minor part of your post but still).

Valid points on NFL vs MLB....CC Sabathia pretty much said the exact same thing when asked why at his size he never considered the NFL. With a guy like Winston though he's probably better off with the NFL, as you said, he'll get a big upfront payday as a top pick, whereas in MLB he'll be in the minors for a few years and could always flop or get injured, never making the bigs. Baseball is the easier sport to make money once established in the big leagues...football is easier to get paid more upfront (if you're talented in college).

Cavan Biggio with his first collegiate home run this weekend. Have I ever mentioned I like this guy? He's got such a great swing and approach, and he's only going to get stronger (still very much looks like a physically immature teenager). I think he's going to be great. Golden Spikes candidate in the future. If I were a SD, I wouldn't have let him to go to college.

OhioBaseball wrote:Cavan Biggio with his first collegiate home run this weekend. Have I ever mentioned I like this guy? He's got such a great swing and approach, and he's only going to get stronger (still very much looks like a physically immature teenager). I think he's going to be great. Golden Spikes candidate in the future. If I were a SD, I wouldn't have let him to go to college.

Brandon Finnegan with another very good outing this weekend.

Cavan't say I've ever seen you type his name....yes... you've been high on this guy for some time...

Last edited by GeronimoSon on Sun Feb 23, 2014 4:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Finnegan is a shrimp..who's FB wanes as the game goes on.. left coast kind of guy too..just a wee bit off... btw.. not a fan of his delivery.. that cross fire look, that little on the low side arm slot and a LOT of effort...Not sure he can sustain being a ML SP.. I could be wrong..

Since most of us like to follow former Tribe draftees, check out the last link. It's the free section of a college article from PG, a bit on our old buddy Wil Crowe. Unfortunately it concerns a draftee that didn't sign (Dammit!).

Justin Garza had him a 7 shutout innings, 5 hits, 1 BB, 12 K thang against San Fran. Bradley Zimmer had 3 singles in the game.

Mark Payton is hitting .613/.676/.935/1.611. Why am I convinced that we didn't need him because we have Logan Vick?

Since most of us like to follow former Tribe draftees, check out the last link. It's the free section of a college article from PG, a bit on our old buddy Wil Crowe. Unfortunately it concerns a draftee that didn't sign (Dammit!).

Justin Garza had him a 7 shutout innings, 5 hits, 1 BB, 12 K thang against San Fran. Bradley Zimmer had 3 singles in the game.

Mark Payton is hitting .613/.676/.935/1.611. Why am I convinced that we didn't need him because we have Logan Vick?

NO! (my opinion) BA has him the 10th overall prospect. That's a joke. He's the prototype of a guy that will do well in college and A-ball but then really flatten out in AA and above. No thanks to him in the 1st round.

You mention the Vandy guys. Tyler Beede is a guy that could go as high as 2 (maybe 1?????), or a guy that could fall as far as Ryne Stanek last year. He's got size, athleticism and a very fast arm -- more *talented* than Rodon. He could easily surpass Hoffman soon.

Skye Bolt needs to get it going. Fast start last year and he faded down the stretch. Still like him, though.

NO! (my opinion) BA has him the 10th overall prospect. That's a joke. He's the prototype of a guy that will do well in college and A-ball but then really flatten out in AA and above. No thanks to him in the 1st round.

You mention the Vandy guys. Tyler Beede is a guy that could go as high as 2 (maybe 1?????), or a guy that could fall as far as Ryne Stanek last year. He's got size, athleticism and a very fast arm -- more *talented* than Rodon. He could easily surpass Hoffman soon.

Skye Bolt needs to get it going. Fast start last year and he faded down the stretch. Still like him, though.

I'd have to agree.. His arm action, pronation and supination combined with his low 3/4ths delivery and whip like action says.. "hello arm injury".. The ball comes out of his right shoulder so it's not real easy to pick up, so he has some deception. If he's drafted in the top fifteen..someone is overpaying. He wouldn't be someone I'd like to see the Indians waste on any of their first three picks (up to the low 40's pending the outcome of Ervin Santana and Kendrys Morales signings)..

The Vandy guys question was in direct reference to Beede as well as his cohorts Miller, Fergie and Buehler.. they've each pitched twice now.. and have been just incredible..

Sort of..but not completely disagree with you W/R to Jeff Hoffman.. his frame.. his arm action.. his long legs and arms coupled with how athletic he is.. that kid is already a beast is going to become a bigger beast when he adds about 30 pounds to that frame. I could be dead wrong about Beede not passing him, but, I'd take Hoffman over Beede in a heartbeat right now.. He just needs to get older..

Predicting arm injuries is very difficult business. All pitchers are a risk if they are throwing overhand. Some have smoother, lower effort deliveries than others but some of those guys end up getting hurt and guys with bad mechanics stay fine. My opinion is that it's a very inexact science and I don't like Nola because I think his stuff sucks outside of his change-up. That FB is very vulnerable at the upper levels of pro ball.

Hoffman is talented but he doesn't miss bats b/c I don't think he has a good breaking ball. I'm not sold on Beede but if he's able to command his stuff, he's tough not to like.

He's got the pro body & consistent arm speed. He didn't get any swings & misses until the last 2 batters, & only one by the penultimate. It's not a fair comp as I've seen Beede (good & bad) a number of times. I prefer Beede. Attending Vandy is a plus, although ECU is no slouch. Both good specs though.

He's got the pro body & consistent arm speed. He didn't get any swings & misses until the last 2 batters, & only one by the penultimate. It's not a fair comp as I've seen Beede (good & bad) a number of times. I prefer Beede. Attending Vandy is a plus, although ECU is no slouch. Both good specs though.

BTW, Jake Lowery's little bro Luke is catching.

Sadly, these two guys will both be drafted long before the Indians pick.. I guess that's a good thing that the Indians are not picking in the top four (and can't trade up one spot to get a guy that no one wants anyway). There are others that should be considered with the picks we have.. Some are from places that aren't what you'd consider hot zones for ML level talent.. Guys like:

-Garret Guys.. from Oklahoma Christian College..a BIG..like Jonathan Gray BIG RHP.. four pitch mix... at 6'6" & 240, he's a big bou with a big arm and a full four pitch repertoire. -Derrick Sylvester..is a skinnier version of Guys..same kind of frame.. has a LOT of swing and miss at Southern New Hampshire

and my two "favorite" targets:

Michael Cederoth & Sean Nuke'em" Newcomb.. RHP/LHP, respectively.. both with mid 90s or above FB's and at least one other flashing plus pitch, both big FOR type projectable frames. If the Indians want to have a chance to compete three years down the road.. these are the kinds of draft selections they need to make. The next three years are going to be critical as Frazier, Naquin, L-Rod, Dorsyss, Lindor, and several other position players will be making statements in the ML's..

He's got the pro body & consistent arm speed. He didn't get any swings & misses until the last 2 batters, & only one by the penultimate. It's not a fair comp as I've seen Beede (good & bad) a number of times. I prefer Beede. Attending Vandy is a plus, although ECU is no slouch. Both good specs though.

BTW, Jake Lowery's little bro Luke is catching.

Sadly, these two guys will both be drafted long before the Indians pick.. I guess that's a good thing that the Indians are not picking in the top four (and can't trade up one spot to get a guy that no one wants anyway). There are others that should be considered with the picks we have.. Some are from places that aren't what you'd consider hot zones for ML level talent.. Guys like:

-Garret Guys.. from Oklahoma Christian College..a BIG..like Jonathan Gray BIG RHP.. four pitch mix... at 6'6" & 240, he's a big bou with a big arm and a full four pitch repertoire. -Derrick Sylvester..is a skinnier version of Guys..same kind of frame.. has a LOT of swing and miss at Southern New Hampshire

and my two "favorite" targets:

Michael Cederoth & Sean Nuke'em" Newcomb.. RHP/LHP, respectively.. both with mid 90s or above FB's and at least one other flashing plus pitch, both big FOR type projectable frames. If the Indians want to have a chance to compete three years down the road.. these are the kinds of draft selections they need to make. The next three years are going to be critical as Frazier, Naquin, L-Rod, Dorsyss, Lindor, and several other position players will be making statements in the ML's..

He's got the pro body & consistent arm speed. He didn't get any swings & misses until the last 2 batters, & only one by the penultimate. It's not a fair comp as I've seen Beede (good & bad) a number of times. I prefer Beede. Attending Vandy is a plus, although ECU is no slouch. Both good specs though.

BTW, Jake Lowery's little bro Luke is catching.

I think that's a bad day for Hoffman -- doesn't look great in that video. He looks good in the bullpen, but while I do agree he's got consistent arm speed, his slot is inconsistent. He drops lower for some pitches. Baseball America posted a video of him (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c62Jrtv9Plk) from his first start of the season and his slot is still inconsistent. I don't know if its on purpose or not but it's not good. That won't fly in pro ball. He's got talent for sure but needs to throw all of his pitches from that good traditional 3/4 slot. Hoffman is a good prospect but is he really the #2 guy in this class? I don't think so. I prefer Beede too but when he's off, I'm reminded of Trey Haley (lots of talent, great arm speed but can't command his stuff). Hopefully that is behind him -- he's off to a good start this year.

This is a random take here, but I was just looking at Matt Garrioch's top 300 draft prospects list. One thing that stood out to me was Karsten Whitson at #34 overall. OK, I see talent in him with the body and arm speed, but I think that is way overrating him. I just don't see it happening for him.

OhioBaseball wrote:This is a random take here, but I was just looking at Matt Garrioch's top 300 draft prospects list. One thing that stood out to me was Karsten Whitson at #34 overall. OK, I see talent in him with the body and arm speed, but I think that is way overrating him. I just don't see it happening for him.

Note the 8 walks & 3 K's. This is about where he finished last year so there is a good possibility that he can maintain this level of performance. There are some players who put up gaudy stats who don't pass the eye test. Papi passes the eye test.

OhioBaseball wrote:This is a random take here, but I was just looking at Matt Garrioch's top 300 draft prospects list. One thing that stood out to me was Karsten Whitson at #34 overall. OK, I see talent in him with the body and arm speed, but I think that is way overrating him. I just don't see it happening for him.

Note the 8 walks & 3 K's. This is about where he finished last year so there is a good possibility that he can maintain this level of performance. There are some players who put up gaudy stats who don't pass the eye test. Papi passes the eye test.

I know, I agree. I don't get the low rankings. I know Colin Moran has the realistic chance of playing 3B (a tough position), but why were people so in love with Colin Moran last year and giving such little love to Mike Papi? They're both advanced college hitters with adequate tools to play a position of skill, relatively the same size. Some may see RF as a stretch for Papi, but he's got the arm and is a good enough runner to put out there. I know Papi's swing isn't as flashy as Derek Fisher's and he doesn't stand out in BP, but neither did Moran. I know I trashed on Moran all of last year, but that was b/c people saw him as a top 10 overall guy. I saw him as a supplemental round guy. I'm making a fuss about Papi because he's not a 4th-5th round guy. I think a case could be made for him in the supplemental round, too. If people were talking about Papi going where Moran went last year, I'd be scoffing at the idea but there is great value here in Mike Papi if these rankings are correct. I'd have to think the Indians would be interested in this type of guy. Not a flashy athlete, but not a bad athlete. He's got the requisite tools/athleticism to play a MLB skill position (RF or LF).

PG doesn't have it's top 25 article up yet & I'm heading out of town. A few mentionables:

Dillon Peters isn't getting the K's this year despite the hot start, the .203 BAA & the .082 ERA. Just 9 K's in 22 IP. Don't know what to make of that.

Mark Payton is still batting .500 with a 1.343 OPS.

Phil Bickford had 7 K's (!) in 2.2 IP for Fullerton vs Oregon. I've read Jays fans who were happy he didn't sign because they'd get a draft pick this year.

This is kinda off the wall but we know the Tribe has a presence in AZ so I'm wondering who they'll like this year. Pretty slim pickings IMO but ASU has a 6' 4" Soph LHP named Brett Lilek who's off to a good start: 14 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 17 K, 1.29 ERA, .106 BAA.

Sort of related, UC Irvine Sr. RHP Andrew Morales beat ASU and also Fresno State so far this year. He's under the short (6') RHP curse but hasn't given up an earned run in 22 IP with 14 H, 4 BB, 18 K, .160 BAA. We know the Tribe likes these guys in later rounds.

I was glad to see Miami beat Luke Weaver & the Criminoles. Chris Diaz is a Jr. 6' LHP for the 'Canes with a history of success who throws a heavy, heavy sinker. I can imagine him pitching to Yan Gomes with Frankie Lindor vaccuuming up ground balls behind him. We might see Luke Weaver there too.

PG doesn't have it's top 25 article up yet & I'm heading out of town. A few mentionables:

Dillon Peters isn't getting the K's this year despite the hot start, the .203 BAA & the .082 ERA. Just 9 K's in 22 IP. Don't know what to make of that.

Mark Payton is still batting .500 with a 1.343 OPS.

Phil Bickford had 7 K's (!) in 2.2 IP for Fullerton vs Oregon. I've read Jays fans who were happy he didn't sign because they'd get a draft pick this year.

This is kinda off the wall but we know the Tribe has a presence in AZ so I'm wondering who they'll like this year. Pretty slim pickings IMO but ASU has a 6' 4" Soph LHP named Brett Lilek who's off to a good start: 14 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 17 K, 1.29 ERA, .106 BAA.

Sort of related, UC Irvine Sr. RHP Andrew Morales beat ASU and also Fresno State so far this year. He's under the short (6') RHP curse but hasn't given up an earned run in 22 IP with 14 H, 4 BB, 18 K, .160 BAA. We know the Tribe likes these guys in later rounds.

I was glad to see Miami beat Luke Weaver & the Criminoles. Chris Diaz is a Jr. 6' LHP for the 'Canes with a history of success who throws a heavy, heavy sinker. I can imagine him pitching to Yan Gomes with Frankie Lindor vaccuuming up ground balls behind him. We might see Luke Weaver there too.

R/E Dillon Peters.. it could mean that he's fooling the hitters IN the strike zone..

Jays fans are like M's fans.. They are never satisfied with anything.. The M's go and sign Robbie Cano, Logan Morrison, and Corey Hart to bolster an anemic offense.. and their fans want to know why they can't sign a RHH...

One thing with Whisten to keep in mind...he is a senior correct (or was he red-shirted once)? May not have much leverage and with draft money being so precious, would not be surprised to see him go higher and teams trying to get him to sign under-slot to save money. Cleveland with 3 first rounders could be such a team....take Whisten and save some money to go after two guys that may seem like tough signs. Not saying this is a good idea but something I wouldn't be surprised some team look at doing, provided they think he's healthy.

This was a well known HS spec here in GA who has improved while in college. Note the 1 K so far this year. Also note the 6 XBH out of 11 total hits. Very good year to year improvement. I thought he was a nice college player last year but he's a real prospect now.

Andrew Morales of UC Irvine (have I mentioned him?) went 8 shutout IP with 6 Hits, 2 BB, 12 K, and still has yet to surrender an earned run this year in 30 IP.

Luke Weaver on Fri: 7 IP, 4 Hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Mention him because I'm pretty sure the Tribe is going to draft him. Next weekend he faces NC State and one Carlos Rodon. All three series games on ESPN3. Should be fun.

Aaron Nola has not given up an earned run this season. Nola's last loss was to UCLA in last years CWS, in which he gave up no earned runs in 8 IP. In 27 IP this season he has a 0.43 WHIP. Counting last season & this season his WHIP is 0.75 via 161 IP, 99 hits, 21 BB. He has a 1.23 ERA over the same time span. His record is 16-1 since the start of the '13 season, with 163 K's in 161 IP.

His prospects in pro ball notwithstanding, this has to be one of the more dominant stretches of pitching over a 1+ year period in college ball in a while. Pretty impressive.

Frank Duncan, the Tribe's 39th round pick last draft has a 31:1 K:BB ratio after 4 starts and 31.1 IP. He's 2-1 with a 2.01 ERA and has allowed only 22 hits, so his WHIP is well under 1. He allowed 12 of those hits in his first start vs BYU covering 6.2IP and he's on a mad roll ever since

I saw Zech Lemond. I'm kinda thinking he gets picked before #21. He has some dominant stuff & pretty much handled some really fine FAU hitters. If FAU had better pitching, they'd be dangerous.

Andrew Morales did the Andrew Morales thing against Grand Canyon. After his one hiccup he was back on track with a 2 hit, 1 BB, 11 K CG. Yawn.

Fullerton Freshman SP Phil Bickford has three well developed pitches. The FB has some jump at the end, the slider has late, two plane break, the change has nice fade. He handled LBSU hitters except for Long Beach Freshman SS Garrett Hampson. Hampson has a lightning quick bat. With only one look against a really fine pitcher, the bat to ball was exceptional. After a K in his 1st AB, he smashed doubles in two consecutive ABs and scored both times, hastening Bickford's slightly early departure. Hampson is easily the best Freshman hitter I've seen this year and comps well with Bregman from last year. He's quick & runs the bases well too. A young, skinny version of Kipnis.

Saw the Sat. UK South Carolina game. A pitching duel between RHP Chandler Shepherd of Kentucky with LHP Jack Wynkoop throwing for the Cocks. Shepherd is a marginally interesting draft spec. Shepherd has a really nice slider. He's gat a small frame at 6'2" & 185. FB sits 90-91, touches 93 with OK command, though he lost it as he tired in the 8th. Announcer speculated that the thin UK pen caused his coach to send him out for the 8th. Wynkoop is a big dude, 6'5" & 210, long-legged, long armed, wide body. Throws from a lower slot & killed the lefties. Nice breaking stuff, decent FB, Sophomore with upside. Greiner looked good, both offense & defense behind the plate. Big guy with a rather long swing but a quick one. Strong throwing arm. AJ Reed hit the ball really hard but right at people. Haven't seen him pitch this year but I always liked his bat better. Cocks 2B DC Arendas has improved a ton from last year & is someone to watch for next years' draft.

Have to mention a really complimentary PG article (subscription only) about Maryland Sr. RHP Jake Stinnett. Throws a heavy 91-94 FB with plus command, an 81-84 slider with late, two plane break, and a change that matched his two-seamers plane at 83-85. He dominated NC State hitters, winning the matchup vs Rodon. Targeting...

Cal Poly #4 now, riding the mighty arm of some guy named Imhof; anyone ever heard of him? Seriously, this is a good team with lots of offense, 5 starters with OBP's over .400 & god XBH power. The pen is strong and Imhof has good company in the rotation in Casey Bloomquist who sports a WHIP barely over 1.00 and a .229 BAA. Imhof has 77 K's in 51.2 IP with a BAA of .161.

The Big West Conference is loaded this year. Opponents in the CWS be warned.

Aaron Nola gave up a HR & lost a game; stop the presses.

Louisville Sr. OF Jeff Gardner is up to .385/.453/.626/1.079 with 14 XBH in 91 AB. Senior sign?

South Carolina & Virginia both went 5-0 this past week. Mike Papi is waking up from his mini slump. The Cocks are just a tough, tough team.

Anyone seen Matt Krook pitch? This kid is a prototype. Freshman in a tough conference, so far college ball is no challenge. Walks are a little high with 19 in 43 IP but the WHIP is still under 1.00 with 56 K's. I like him better than Bickford. Take a look:

So yesterday I'm watching the UC Irvine/Cal State Northridge game and Taylor Sparks is at bat. The play by play guy mentions that the Tribe drafted Sparks in '11. Then he adds that we must have a good area scout around there with an eye for talent because we drafted Diemer the same year & Justin Garza the next year. The color guy repilies, "yeah, but you have to sign them." & that the FO must not be listening to the scout. He says, "Cleveland is really into the sabermetrics." "They all have a Harvard degree but I don't know how good a Harvard degree is when you're playing baseball."

Mississippi State RHP Jonathan Holder went 5.1 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 BB, 6 K's, 82 pitches against Missouri on Friday. He's been the team's closer for the last two years and has, as OB can attest, a devastating CB. He's a big ole dude, 6'2" and 240 something, and if he can proves he can start, he should go pretty high in the draft. His CB has to be one of the top pitches in the draft.

I saw UVA & UNC on Saturday, Benton Moss vs Josh Sborz. Moss looked good, very smooth, good slider, the FB was missing high and was pretty straight. Sborz was a mess, bouncing ball in front of the plate, all over the place with the FB, but like Moss was locating his Breaking Ball pretty well. At least throwing it for strikes. So, of course, Sborz won. Best tap dancing I've seen since my daughter was a kid. On Sunday UNC SS, one Michael Russell, had him a day with a 2 run HR among 3 hits. This kid looked really good at the plate & has a .967 OPS. The UVA coach says he' the best hitter he's seen this year.

I saw Arkansas RHP Chris Oliver pitch on Sunday against Vandy. He's 6'4" and 180, so he's got some room to grow. His FB is impressive, sitting around 93-94 with little apparent effort. He hit 96 a couple of times. He was moving the FB all around the zone effectively. The slider had good late break, induced lots of ground balls with it, but he didn't command it as well as the FB. He should be moving up draft boards due to his present arm strength & evident upside.

A personal fave, because defense at catcher is a weakness of mine, Jerry McClanahan of UC Irvine, is hitting better of late, just in time to impress scouts. The defense isn't up there with Stuart Turner from last season, but it's close. He might have better hands. He went 4 for eleven over the weekend against SD State, including a 2 runs single off of Cederoth.

Derek Fisher was back for UVA on Sunday. He went 0fer but reportedly hit the ball hard a couple of times. They need him because the offense sucks. I heard that they walk more than they strike out as a team!Eventually though, they have to drive in some runs. I'm looking at you, Mike Papi.

Virginia has it soft, although Liberty has a couple of good hitters, notably Louisville transfer Ryan Seiz, and no real weak spots in the rotation. Not sure they're ready for Prime Time.

Houston has a tough team in Texas, I might even favor Garrido's gang, although they're a bit short on power & OB's boy John Curtiss is no Cory Knebel...yet. Something for the Draft Thread, I believe Curtiss is a red-shirt Soph. & draft eligible.

Miami has Vandy & Fullerton. They must have pissed someone off.

My boys at Irvine have to trave to Oregon State and face some ridiculously good pitching. I'd love to see the Ben Wetzler/Andrew Morales matchup.

Louisiana-Lafayette has Arkansas and Jalen Beeks/Chris Oliver. We'll see how good those bat really are.

Indiana hosts & North Carolina & Louisville com to B-Town to beat up on them.

Lots of players that I'd like to have seen didn't make it. Rodon, Stinnett, Gillaspie, Hoffman, Freeland, Zimmer, Pentecost, Hunter Cole, & all of those young hitters from Tennessee. Should be fun though.

Conforto doubled in 3 AB & also recorded his 3rd SB. if you've seen him run, you'd be impressed.

Louisiana-Lafayette moved up to #2 after taking 2 of 3 from a very tough Arkansas State club, despite Austin Robichaux scuffling a bit. He got pulled after going 5 IP & only 59 pitches.

Cajuns LF Caleb Adams went 0fer to drop to a season line of .370/.500/.710/1.210. In 162 AB he has 13 doubles, 6 triples, & 10 HR.

LSU dropped a series to Texas A&M. Nola with the ND in the 1st game, giving up 3 ER in 8.1 IP with 7 K's.

Andrew Bregman went 3-4 on Fri with a double, HR, and 2 runs scored. He then went 1-8 for the remaining 2 games, both losses.

A&M JR RHP Daniel Mengden had a 5 hit CG on Sat with 5 K's and 1 BB while giving up 2 ER.

The Gators moved up to #4 in the rankings, one spot above the odious Criminoles. Gators Frosh RHP Logan Shore out-dueled Bama's Spencer Turnbull on Fri to set the tone. Shore went 6 shutout IP with no walks & 3 K's.

The seemingly punchless Miami Hurricanes sit in the #12 spot after taking 2 of 3 from Alabama State. Stud Freshman catcher Zach Collins is the only real offensive threat in support of the Three Lefties since David Thompson was injured. Collins has a .965 OPS in 151 AB with a .995 FP. One error.

Eric Skoglund of UCF gave up 2 ER in 6,2 IP against Houston on Friday. That raised the 6'7" Junior RHP's ERA to .187.

Matt Imhof went only 3 IP on Friday, giving up 5 runs on 7 hits, needing 73 pitches to get through 3 innings. I think some of these pitchers are getting tired.

Former Tribe draftee Jared Ruxer of Louisville threw 7 shutout innings on Sat vs USF, with one BB and 8 K's. He and Kyle Funkhouser with Burdi closing are going to be tough in the CWs.

Andrew Morales of the now #21 UC Irvine Anteaters went 7.2 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K's on Friday. He has lost ONE college game in his career. As Jim Rome would say, "Reeediculous".

Indiana had a big road win at Louisville, topping the Cards 7-2. Schwarber went 1-5 but the 1 hit was a 3 run bomb.

The Gators finally found someone they could beat, up 8-2 over USF with 2 outs in the 9th. Only SuperFrosh Logan Shore kept them from getting swept by Vandy over the weekend. He beat Tyler Beede in the process. Former spec Karsten Whitson gave up 5 ER & 3 BB on Sat, in 0.1 IP. Requiescat in Pace.

Just back from vacation & trying to catch up. ESPN3 has tons of conference tournament games on replay to check out. A good plan would be to pick out the players you want to see & check boxes to see when they played.

Case in point, the 5/21 Miss State/S Carolina game. Dogs starter Trevor Fitts leaves after 2 IP making way for the nastiest pitcher I've seen this year. His name is Jacob Lindgren & all he did was go 4 IP perfect with 6 K's. He's not big & only tops at 93-94 but his slider is disgustingly good. He's currently the set up man & his stuff did fall off a bit in his 4th IP but if you were thinking about drafting Burdi or Howard you haven't seen Lindgren yet. This kid averages over 16 K's per 9 IP. He misses bats.

Saw Arkansas/Liberty last night. Trey Lambert outpitched Chris Oliver, who was all over the place with the FB and was mostly using a get-me-over slurve to throw strikes. The star of the game was Hogs 2B Brian Anderson who was 2-3 with a home run, a BB and 2 RBI. This kid has a nice stroke and should be a draft target for the Tribe. The Liberty 2B, Ryan Seiz, who had 30 XBH in 228 AB this season, went hitless and was pitched around as the only apparent threat in the lineup. I was impressed with the bat speed of Liberty Freshman DH Andrew Yacyk, who absolutely crushed a double. His coach was quoted to the effect that Yacyk looks silly on some AB's but when he makes contact, it's hard contact. Interesting guy to watch to see if he's going to improve or just be Russell Branyan. An FYI, Liberty had a better RPI than Arkansas did, so their impressive season wasn't from playing patsies.

Some interesting Super Regionals matchups. I'm amazed that Pepperdine has made it this far but the fun starts for them in their next series against TCU.

Too bad that Indiana couldn't hold on against Stanford. Indiana was fun to watch. Schwarber is just strong as hell & Travis would be a good consolation prize in the draft if we pass on Gillaspie/Reed, et al. They represented the Big 10 well.

Maryland (featuring future Tribe ace Jake Stinnett) vs Virginia (featuring future Tribe RF Mike Papi) looks like an interesting rivalry to watch. Nick Howard is also a Player of Interest (POI) as he's being pronounced a future SP after spending most of his career in the pen. Maryland beat Virginia in their only meeting this year, with Stinnett surviving giving up 10 hits & 3 ER in 8 IP with 0 walks and 10 K's. He K'ed Papi twice but Nick Howard DHed and went 4-4.

In the game in which Texas Tech eliminated Miami, one of my old Tribe draft targets, Freshman pitcher Derik Beauprez of the Canes started and threw 4.1 innings of 1 hit ball. Health permitting, in 2 more years he's going to be a stud.

In the game we were all waiting for, the Mighty Anteaters of UC Irvine toppled top seed Oregon State. Andrew Morales, on 2 days rest, went 4.1 IP with 3 hits, 1 run, 1 BB, and 5 K's. Future Tribe catcher Jerry McClanahan, who is also the best defensive catcher in the draft, went 1-2 with a walk and an uncontested "stolen base".

Hehe rocky, sign me up for Papi at 38, Travis at 61, Stinnett at 97 and Andrew Morales somewhere in the 6th to 10th rounds. Sam Travis is very underrated, especially compared to Gillaspie. I think he will go higher than he's ranked, probably top 50, because there's a significant gap in the College bats class after Schwarber, Reed, Gillaspie, Papi and Travis. The best spot to pick one of them will be at 31 (Reed or Gillaspie) or 38 (Papi or Travis). If one of Schwarber or Zimmer somehow fall to 21, they should be picked of course.

Speaking of UC Irvine: their 1B is a strange prospect. He's been their best pure hitter, but only has gap/doubles power (just 1 HR, but more doubles than Sparks the past 2 seasons). He has hit consistently around .360/.370 with an OBP around .450 over the past 2 seasons. He's not ranked by PG and is 422nd on BA's list and looks like a good pick in that 11th to 15th range. I would go as high as 200-250k if the budget free 100k isn't enough to make him leave school. I don't care about the power or position, think about that later/make him a 1B/DH whatever, because this guy is one of the best pure College hitters in this draft with a strong track record and that would be a fair price for a bat like that. That's the cost of a fringe international lottery ticket, might as well buy a proven College hitter with it.

Connor Spencer? Have you seen him play? He's got a loose, kinda handsy swing but it's quick & he puts the bat on the ball. Runs well too for a 1B & is a really good base runner. He'd be a really nice later round target and if he could get stronger without losing the athleticism he'd be formidable. In that way he has projection. I'd bet he could handle LF well too if they wanted to move him.

Thanks Rocky, that's who I meant. I guess the mix of little HR power and iffy position is the reason he's not considered a top 10 round spec, but he's a better hitter than a lot of College bats that will be drafted ahead of him in those rounds and is a very good bet in rounds 11-15. The Indians tend to draft a couple of advanced College JR bats in those rounds: Vick, Lucas, Payton come to mind, so hopefully he's in the mix there as well.

I’ve spent most of the spring (outside of work) studying for an exam I took last Saturday, so I’ve missed much of the college baseball season. However, I’m real excited to see Vanderbilt in the CWS this weekend.

So here is my question I hope to answer (and I open it up to others); if you could choose only one of the pitchers on Vanderbilt’s staff, who would it be and why? The top guys are all pretty different types of pitchers; Tyler Beede is the most traditionally talented pitching prospect though he’s got some issues, Carson Fulmer has great present day stuff but really doesn’t fit the traditional mold of a top SP prospect and you’ve got a smaller Walker Buehler. There are other guys too, but these are all good pitching prospects. I’ve seen them all at various points before this season, so anxious to see how they look this year. All first round talents, though I think for different reasons. There's also some other very talented guys on that staff, too.

OhioBaseball wrote:I’ve spent most of the spring (outside of work) studying for an exam I took last Saturday, so I’ve missed much of the college baseball season. However, I’m real excited to see Vanderbilt in the CWS this weekend.

So here is my question I hope to answer (and I open it up to others); if you could choose only one of the pitchers on Vanderbilt’s staff, who would it be and why? The top guys are all pretty different types of pitchers; Tyler Beede is the most traditionally talented pitching prospect though he’s got some issues, Carson Fulmer has great present day stuff but really doesn’t fit the traditional mold of a top SP prospect and you’ve got a smaller Walker Buehler. There are other guys too, but these are all good pitching prospects. I’ve seen them all at various points before this season, so anxious to see how they look this year. All first round talents, though I think for different reasons. There's also some other very talented guys on that staff, too.

OhioBaseball wrote:I’ve spent most of the spring (outside of work) studying for an exam I took last Saturday, so I’ve missed much of the college baseball season. However, I’m real excited to see Vanderbilt in the CWS this weekend.

So here is my question I hope to answer (and I open it up to others); if you could choose only one of the pitchers on Vanderbilt’s staff, who would it be and why? The top guys are all pretty different types of pitchers; Tyler Beede is the most traditionally talented pitching prospect though he’s got some issues, Carson Fulmer has great present day stuff but really doesn’t fit the traditional mold of a top SP prospect and you’ve got a smaller Walker Buehler. There are other guys too, but these are all good pitching prospects. I’ve seen them all at various points before this season, so anxious to see how they look this year. All first round talents, though I think for different reasons. There's also some other very talented guys on that staff, too.

OB.. wouldn't you want to contextualize the decision?..

We've got to wait to see the Vanderbilt guys pitch first! I'm sure Carson Fulmer is going to get some Sonny Gray comparisons.